Toyota FJ Cruiser

2003 Detroit Auto Show

Ironically, it seems one way for automakers to attract active, younger buyers is to visit the past. Toyota is considering just that approach. While many of the Gen-Y crowd probably know little or nothing about the famous FJ 40 that romped everywhere from Baja to Kenya, Toyota went ahead and built this FJ Cruiser concept to gauge response for a possible production version. Based on a modified Tacoma platform and powered by a TRD-supercharged 3.4-liter 250-horsepower V-6, the FJ Cruiser was designed at Toyota's Calty design center in Newport Beach, California. "The FJ Cruiser takes on an authentic functional form, yet adopts several styling cues from the original FJ," said Jin Kim, the Cruiser's 25-year-old exterior designer. As far as we're concerned, we like it. Build it Toyota — the kids will love 'em!